What memory aids are helpful to students?
Strategies designed to aid memory and recall are called mnemonics (nee-MON-iks). Many mnemonics rely on making a word or phrase out the first letters of items in a list, for example, some people remember the order of the planets in the solar system (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) by using the following mnemonic: “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas.” Other mnemonics use rhymes, music, or other devices to help students access information. Many mnemonics are relatively familiar, such as SQ3R (Study, Question, Read, Recite, Review), originally developed by Robinson (1946). A good description of SQ3R is available on the Virginia Tech Web site, at http://www.ucc.vt.edu/ (Click on “Increasing Textbook Reading Comprehension by Using SQ3R” in the “Online Study Skills Workshops” box in the middle of the right hand side of the page). Some educators and researchers have developed mnemonics specifically to help students with disabilities. One e
